Visitors from Assam Harassed Post NRC, CM Should Take Action: Opp Leader Debabrata Saikia

Guwahati, September 17, 2019:

Debabrata Saikia, Leader of Opposition of Assam Legislative Assembly, has urged Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to take actions over the recent report of harassment of people from Assam in various parts of the neighbouring states post the National Register of Citizens (NRC) publication.

Saikia said that people from Assam were being harassed in various parts of the Northeastern states. They were stopped and asked for identity cards as well as documents relating to NRC.

He said that people visiting Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram were being harassed the most.

Leader Debabrata Saikia informed that as per reports, students’ organisations of the neighbouring states, along with their police forces, are behind the harassment. He added that they were allowing entry to visitors having their names in the NRC.

Even when the first draft was published in 2018, there was a similar situation in these areas, especially in Meghalaya.

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Saikia further said that even the Meghalaya CM claimed that they have evicted at least 223 people belonging to Assam as these people failed to provide any documentary proof of them being included in the NRC.

Referring to these incidents, Saikia stated that even the Union Home Ministry said that non-inclusion of a person in the NRC does not label a person to be an illegal migrant or foreigner. It is up to the Foreigners’ Tribunal and the Judiciary to decide if a person is a foreigner or Indian after the publication of the NRC.

He said that it is unacceptable the people are being harassed for the NRC and the CM should take it up with his counterparts to stop these reports of harassment.

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